• Magnetic field (MF)-assisted technology needs to be emphasized in meat preservation. Various types of MF enhance freezing and thawing by influencing water molecules. • MF alters meat quality by affecting the oxidation and structure of meat proteins. • The role of MF-assisted technologies for meat preservation needs further attention. In recent years, magnetic field (MF)-assisted processing technology has garnered significant attention in food preservation and processing. Although extensive research has focused on MF-assisted freezing and thawing, protein gel formation, water retention, color preservation, and microbial inhibition, there is a lack of systematic summarization of existing research in this area. Existing reviews on these topics have addressed them to some extent, but still fall short of being comprehensive. Accordingly, this work examines the mechanisms of static and alternating MFs in meat preservation. It explains MF-induced effects on ice crystal formation in water, from the perspectives of free energy and water molecule behavior. Alternating MFs take the primary role in meat preservation, while static MFs serve as a supporting factor. Moreover, MF-assisted technology exerts multiple regulatory effects on meat properties. This technology inhibits lipid and protein oxidation by reducing metal ion catalysis and regulating antioxidant enzyme expression. It blocks the transmission of microbial quorum-sensing signals, thereby decreasing biogenic amine production and suppressing microbial growth. The technology induces myoglobin oxidation and hemoglobin degradation, further altering meat color. It modifies protein structure to influence water-holding capacity (WHC), and reduces the oxidation of flavor precursors to improve meat flavor. Furthermore, this work explores the potential of coupling MF treatment with complementary technologies to enhance preservation efficacy. Current application challenges are also identified, including high costs, excessive energy consumption and poor scalability. Future research should focus on technical optimization and the expanded application of MFs in meat storage. These new perspectives aim to attract more researchers in the field of MF-assisted meat processing technology, and it is hoped that this work will provide them some new insights and inspiration.
Guo et al. (Sun,) studied this question.